Chapter Sixteen: He Is a Master of Martial Arts

"Where did the boss go?"
The remaining three burly men looked at each other in confusion, glanced at Ye Cheng across from them, then checked their own surroundings.
"You idiots, I'm right here! Hurry up and get me down. Damn it, what a nightmare! It hurts like hell."
At that moment, the voice of the burly man who had been sent flying came from not far away.
The three instinctively turned to look behind, jaws dropping in shock.
"Boss, what's going on? How did you end up hanging from the tree?"
"This guy's trained in martial arts."
"Quick, help the boss down."
A flurry of clumsy action ensued, and after much effort, they finally managed to rescue their leader from the tree branch.
But once he was down, the pain seemed to intensify, prompting him to instruct the younger men supporting him,
"Be gentle, be gentle—my back, I think I strained it."
"Boss, let's go deal with that kid," one of the burly men suggested, anger bubbling over as he saw their leader suffering. He rolled up his sleeves and moved to confront Ye Cheng.
"Stop, Fourth! How can you be so foolish? Didn't Third just say this guy's a martial artist?"
Another burly man quickly pulled the angry Fourth back.
"Fourth, come back. Second is right, let's call it a day. Take me to the hospital, I can't stand the pain in my back anymore."
The leader, having suffered a hidden loss, was now well aware of Ye Cheng's strength and refused to let Fourth act recklessly, urging his brothers to take him to the hospital.
But just as the three were about to help their leader away, a voice called out from behind.
"Leaving already? My sister hasn't returned the money. How can you just walk away empty-handed?"
Ye Cheng looked at the backs of the burly men with a hint of amusement, smiling as he spoke.
"What do you want?"
Ye Cheng's words startled the leader, who spun around, fear flickering in his eyes as he looked at Ye Cheng.
He had just been kicked senseless by Ye Cheng, and now the man wouldn’t let them leave.
This could be trouble—was Ye Cheng planning to teach them another lesson?
"What do I want? Weren't you here to collect money? Why rush off now? Come over, let's talk."
Ye Cheng continued to smile, but a chill lingered beneath it.
"I'm not afraid. Boss, there are four of us—let me handle this."
Fourth was hot-tempered, caring little about how the boss had been sent flying.
He only knew that in Willow City, anyone who offended the Wu family never ended well.
With that, he charged at Ye Cheng.
"Fourth, no!"
A loud thud cut off the leader's attempt to intervene; his brother had disappeared, sent flying who knew where.
"It's been a while since I played soccer—I think my aim was off this time,"
Ye Cheng turned and smiled at the shocked woman nearby.
"Fourth fell into a pit, Third, go get him out. That fool, I told him not to be impulsive,"
The leader soon spotted Fourth's whereabouts and quickly instructed his men.
Faced with the current situation, he was at a loss.
He couldn't figure out what kind of man Ye Cheng was, nor why he possessed such agile skills.
In just a breath, Ye Cheng had kicked a nearly two-hundred-pound man seven or eight meters away.
Clearly, the man before him was not to be trifled with.
He would have to tread carefully.
With that in mind, the leader decided to probe Ye Cheng.
He shed his previous arrogance and, feigning respectful humility, addressed Ye Cheng,
"Brother, may I ask which family’s master you are? In Willow City, I haven't heard of any wandering martial sects."
"My name is Ye Cheng," Ye Cheng replied plainly.
"Ye Cheng? Never heard of any martial figure by that name in Willow City. Could he be a retainer of some powerful family?"
The leader wondered silently.
"Boss, maybe we should go back and investigate. Fourth looks badly injured."
While the leader pondered, Third arrived, supporting a dazed Fourth.
"Alright, let's go," the leader said, eyeing Fourth’s injuries and preparing to leave.
But as he turned, Ye Cheng’s voice rang out again.
"Hey, did I give you permission to leave? How did you forget my words so quickly?"
"Brother, we were blind to your greatness. We’ve offended you today. We'll drop the debt and leave, is that not enough?"
The leader was clearly frightened by Ye Cheng’s prowess, turning back to apologize repeatedly.
"Repaying debts is a matter of principle. You say the debt is gone, just like that? I haven’t agreed yet."
"Then…then…what do you want?"
Seeing Ye Cheng relentless, cold sweat dripped down the leader’s broad face.
"Nothing much. Just pay back the money for my sister. Bring me the IOU."
Ye Cheng urged.
"The IOU? Boss, should we…?"
Second hesitated, glancing at the leader.
"Sigh, give it to him. We’re beaten today."
The leader, after a moment’s struggle, decisively ordered.
He pulled a crumpled IOU from his pocket, handed it to a nearby brother, signaling him to give it to Ye Cheng.
The man took the note, unwillingly walked over to Ye Cheng, handed it to him, then tried to turn away.
"Wait, not so fast."
Ye Cheng called out.
"What now? What do you want?"
The man shuddered, warily questioning Ye Cheng.
"Here’s five thousand yuan. Take it and report back. Don’t ever trouble my sister again, understood?"
Ye Cheng handed over all the five thousand yuan he had left, offering it to the burly man.
The money had originally been meant for his mother’s medicine.
But now, with a ten-million-yuan check in his possession, the five thousand could be freely spent.
This seemed fitting—consider it a good deed.
"Alright. Brother, you’re formidable. We respect you. Second, take it. Let’s go."
Seeing Ye Cheng wasn’t going to make things difficult, the leader quickly agreed, then led his brothers away.
But once they were out of Ye Cheng’s sight, the leader clenched his fists tightly.